My son glanced up with a puzzled frown from the warm sofa in front of the TV as I came through the door. I was soaked through, mud was dripping off the bike, helmet and shoes, and it was hard to see through the grime still stuck in my eyes. I still had to clean up the bike before a hot shower, and then I’d move slowly the rest of the day from weariness “¡Qué ganas!” he commented,” why do you bother?”

I thought back over the morning’s ride. It had been about 6°C and raining off and on. 14 of us had ridden about 3 hours, snaking 34 km through the woods and mountains near town. We’d had a break-down, two flats and some minor falls, along with jokes and discussion over which route to follow. There’d been plenty of difficult sections where I’d pushed as hard as I could to keep close to the front riders – and then we had waited or doubled back to accompany the slower riders and regroup. I’d had several interesting discussions and laughed a lot…

So, why do we ride? It’s a question I’ve asked myself as well. What drives me and my fellow “masochists” (not my term) to cheat on sleep and get up early to push our limits in spite of difficulty, risk, expense, pain, mental and physical challenge… and yet LOVE it? Is it like the Spanish saying: “You don’t like soup? Then a double bowl-full!” No, I don’t think so. This is self imposed.

For curiosity, I began to ask my companions why they ride and why they keep coming back for more. “Because it’s such a RUSH!” said one. “There is such freedom – especially on longer trips,” commented another. “It’s the only time I disconnect from my problems.” “I love the feeling of overcoming obstacles that require stamina, technical skill and mental toughness that also draws people closer who succeed together.” “The downhill thrills more than make up for the pain!” Even the challenged plodders who always seem to be struggling to keep up thought that it was well worthwhile.

As I listened, several themes began to bubble up through the comments. Each rider seemed to feel DEEPLY SATISFIED from overcoming challenges that required effort and often help from others to be conquered. That challenge could come from another rider, from the conditions, from one’s own normal limits, or from something else. Often even just surviving a ride was reason enough to celebrate. There was also a general JOY of DISCONNECTING briefly but regularly from the normal routines and pressures of life. Like pressing CTRL, ALT, DELETE on the computer, it provided a pause and restart on daily life. Riding alone didn’t offer the same since the mind would keep working on the same problems. One commented how when alone, in the middle of a major effort he would come to a standstill if he remembered something he’d left undone. My friends eagerly look forward to our rides together because there we find ‘esprit de corps’ in sufficient measure to clear our thoughts and enjoy a refreshing change through the challenge of physical effort.

What I heard was that we ride together because it makes us feel more alive. Nasty conditions don’t quench that thirst for life – they might even enhance it. Something in our design thrives as we struggle along. We seek the communion of conquering challenges that adds perspective and whets our appetites for more life to enjoy together.

Mark S, December 2010

Photo by William Hook on Unsplash